Marcelo Bielsa is under increasing pressure at Lille, with the club second bottom of Ligue 1. Whilst LOSC didn’t expect a title challenge this season, it’s fair to say they hoped to be in the qualification zone for UEFA competition, rather than the relegation zone.
As often happens when a Bielsa situation goes wrong, there’s doubt among players and those in charge of the club, but seemingly a kind of fear creating a barrier between the manager and the sack. That, and the whole heap of money Lille will have to shell out in compensation.
L’Equipe can’t get enough of the situation, and in their Tuesday edition point out that Luis Campos, adviser to Lille’s president and sometime transfer expert, has been staying away from the club, wanting to distance himself from Bielsa’s decisions.
The insinuation is that Campos had arranged the deals, agreed with Manchester City and Porto, only for Bielsa to then veto the idea. Campos was probably quite unhappy having dealt with Manchester City and the Portuguese club, and probably felt the players, Mangala especially, would have been a boost for Lille.
Bony left Manchester City for Swansea City at the end of the window, but Mangala remains there. Lille rumours have surfaced recently for a January move, but Bielsa needs to be shoved out first, and signing for a club in the French relegation zone isn’t too attractive.
